Alistair Hulett

LABOUR HISTORY IN SONG

The Siege of Union Street

The Unemployed Workers Union (UWU) was formed in Melbourne during the Great Depression to fight evictions by heartless landlords of destitute families for non-payment of rent. A Sydney branch soon followed and the UWU drew thousands into its ranks. Matters came to a head in Union Street, in the inner city suburb of Erskineville in Sydney, when over a thousand militants fought a pitched battle with police that lasted several days. The tenants were a 'war widow' and her children, so emotions were running high and the struggle received much media coverageThe Communist Party was deeply committed to supporting the UWU and the police had assistance from the covert right-wing paramilitary group identified by D.H. Lawrence in his novel Kangaroo. Casualties on both sides were high but the issue was finally resolved when the Labor State Premier, Jack Lang, introduced legislation to protect the unemployed from being thrown out of their homes. Jim Munroe, a founding member of the UWU is the source of the material on which much of this song is based. You should have seen us down at Erko Fourteenth August, Saturday night To Newtown, Stanmore, Enmore and Petersham Calls went out 'Workers unite!' We built a bloody great wall With planks and boards full seven foot tall We didn't mind the howling wind and sleet When we stood around the fire at Union Street The man from the shop said put it on tick The kids came round with bottles and bricks There was Irish stew and home-made lemonade They were grand old days on the barricade I never thought I would join a party Carry a card or see things red The sight of bare foot children crying Out on the pavement turned my head There old man's over in France Flapping like a rag on a barbed wire fence Their Mum does what she can to make ends meet And she's down at the siege of Union Street The cops came down and they came down hard They must have numbered five hundred strong They called us reds and they cracked our heads To teach us poor sinners right from wrong I learned a lesson that night It's all out war when you stand and fight I saw those brisk young coppers on their beat Behave like thugs in Union Street Sunshine danced on the broken glass It shone like diamonds as morning broke The cops were back by the railroad track And the streets were filled with working folk They'd bashed us bloody and raw But it forced Jack Lang to change the law Now the landlords have to cop it sweet And the Red Flag flies over Union Street The man from the shop gave out licorice sticks To the kids who cleaned up the bottles and bricks Down the years those memories never fade Of the grand old days on the barricade Words from the CD The Cold Grey Light of Dawn by Alistair Hulett & Dave Swarbrick, published by Musikfolk Ltd, 1997. Words and music by Alistair Hulett.	1
Alistair Hulett – singer, songwriter, international socialist, revolutionary, ecologist and community activist – died 28 January 2010 aged 58. Born in Scotland, he migrated with his family to New Zealand when he was 14 and then moved to Australia about five years later. After many years as a songwriter and activist based in Sydney – most prominently in the band, Roaring Jack – Alistair returned to live in Scotland in 1997, touring for a time with the fiddler, Dave Swarbrick. He produced several albums and made an indelible impression on all who heard him. Some lasting tributes to his memory have been proposed including an annual social justice songwriting prize to be awarded by the Australian National Folk Festival.	2
Fatima Uygun, his partner of 17 years, wrote: Alistair was a kind, gentle man who was committed to fighting for a better world – a world based on the principles of justice, equality, love and respect for all of humanity. The world was a better place for knowing him and is a sadder place for his loss. He leaves a great legacy in his music that will continue to bring inspiration to many who, like him, believed a better world was possible.	3
Further information may be had at <www.alistairhulett.com> and the Facebook page: Alistair Hulett – Tribute.	4

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